A Pope County man will ride his bike more than 285 miles on U.S. Highway 64 over two weekends in an effort to raise funds for and awareness of a local charity. Scott Heflin, 38, said he got the idea about a month ago when Children of Arkansas Loved for a Lifetime — The CALL — talked about its mission at his church, The Journey in Russellville. “The CALL deserves the support,” Heflin said. “I decided to set up the ride and allow people to pledge money to donate to The CALL of Pope County.” The CALL is an organization that strives to alleviate the foster care burden in Arkansas by utilizing the church. Michael Escue, who helped start the CALL in Pope County and acts as church representative coordinator, said The CALL’s goal is to have loving, Christian homes ready and waiting to take in children who need a home. Heflin will make his 200-mile ride from Memphis, Tenn., the first weekend in October and a nearly-90-mile ride from Fort Smith the second weekend in October, with both rides ending at his church. “I wanted to end both rides at The Journey in Russellville so supporters can be there at the finish line and enjoy that experience,” he said. Heflin and his girlfriend Franci Harper will drive to the starting points and Harper, in a car, will follow Heflin back. “I will have a live GPS tracker on my phone, so people can go online and view my progress along the way,” Heflin said. “I plan to ride 35-40 miles Friday evening directly after arriving in Memphis. Then I will ride about 80 miles each on Saturday and Sunday. I plan to ride the whole trip from Fort Smith on Saturday [Oct. 12].” Harper said she was skeptical of the idea at first. “My first reaction was, ‘Wow, this guy is crazy,’” she said. “When he told me more about the cause, I felt so proud of him for having such a big heart and I couldn’t wait to help.” Heflin said his ride wouldn’t be possible without support from two local businesses — Feltner’s Athlete’s Corner and Carr’s Chain Reaction. Heflin said raising money is helpful, but that his main goal is to raise awareness. “Even if a person can’t be a foster parent, there are so many ways to help,” he said. “They need volunteers to do things like drive the kids to doctor’s appointments. There are other ways to be involved besides fostering.” For more information or to make a pledge, visit www.facebook.com/theCALLtoride